Update

This blog has not been updated recently because I have been consumed with my new project, a film for fathers called The Other Side of the Glass.

It is a film about the baby during birth and calls for us to see the full impact of birth on the human baby. It is about creating safety by embracing that the baby is a fully aware and sentient being who is experiencing birth, and recognizing that the baby's brain is imprinting the birth experience so that even though it is not remembered consciously, it is remembered in the brain and is expressed emotionally and behaviorally for life.

The film calls upon society to support women and men in birthing their baby in the safest way possible where ever birth is, and with whomever. It demands that we expect doctors, nurses, and midwives to release control of birth to the mother and father, and to work in partnership with them, and to treat our babies with conscious, respectful, and gentle care. Fathers will learn the information they need to demand that he and his partner are equal partners with the birthing team. He will become the rightful protector of his family on the most important day of their baby's life.

The film is a one-woman, self-funded project for the most part; however, I do appreciate camera assistance from my daughter, Mariah, and my fellow video production buddy, Brenden Caughwell, along with his keen mind that challenges me. And, I appreciate my colleagues from BEPE.info (Birth and Early Parenting Educators in Nevada City, CA) who supported me in multiple ways -- housing, equipment, and now we near getting the editing software. Meanwhile, I am using the Community Access Television editing lab and I appreciate it but the time limited to only certain hours a day. I appreciate beyond words their support as well as the support of my friend, Rich Winkle, who bought a new MAC for me to use as long as I need it. He said, "This film has to be made." I proudly share his writing here. I appreciate my friends and relatives in CA, AZ, and MO (Uncle Worth, Cousin Deloris, the Mekahil's, Mom and Dad, my producer Audra Kelly-Collier and her family, the Remingtons and their Peace Haven, and Paula Green) who have shared their homes with me during my travels. I am forever grateful as the journey is just unfolding and I head back to California.

BEBE Coordinator, Donna Chamberalain and I have interviewed many of the BEPE members and in February we started a production team with the Nevada City, CA Community Access Television station. We plan to be completing many projects sharing multiple aspects of the birthing baby and family. Some of these will soon be featured in MEMBERS CIRCLE section on the website of the Association for Pre and Perinatal Psychology and Health, http://www.birthpsychology.com/ hosted by yours truly.

Soon ... very soon ... I will be posting a fundraising trailer for the film here as well as excerpts from interviewees.

I have interviewed the following physicians:

Sarah Buckley, MD, http://www.sarahjbuckley.com/,
Michel Odent, MD from France/UK, author of several books and his site is http://www.wombecology.com/,
Gladys McGarey, MD in Arizona, http://www.mcgareyfoundation.org/,
George M. Morley, MD, http://www.cordclamp.com/ in Michigan.

I am very excited about my most recent interview with Ralph Boling, DO, an obstetrician in Kirksville, MO who is seeking to engage the local homebirthing community with the hospital as the hospital renovates the labor and delivery floor. Dr. Boling is seeking to build partnerships with the local women and homebirth community to provide a supportive environment in the hospital for homebirth transfers and to create a hospital enviornment that honors women and the baby. Wooo hooo.

Others I interviewed for my film are:
Marilyn Milos, founder of NOCIRC, http://www.nocirc.org/, and a few folks at the Santa Barbara Graduate Insitute http://www.sbgi.edu/.,
BJ Lyman, PhD, Director of the Pre and Perinatal Psych program and
Marti Glenn, PhD., founder and director of the institute, as well as
Ray Castellino, DC and his colleague, Mary Jackson (midwife), http://www.beba.org/,
William Emerson, PhD, pioneer in birth trauma healing, http://www.emersonbirthrx.com/, Wendy McCord, PhD., http://www.wendymccord.com/,
Karen Strange is the neonatal resuscitation instructor at http://www.newbornbreath.com/,
William Sexton, PhD, medical school physiology professor who explains fetal circulation transition to adult circulation at birth, and
David Chamberlain, PhD, author of The Mind of Your Newborn Baby and co-founder of the Association for Pre and Perinatal Psychology and Health, http://www.birthpsychology.com/ and his own group, http://www.bepe.info/.

BEPE Coordinator, Donna Chamberlain and I have interviewed many of the BEPE members.

And the real stars of the film are the three babies and the many fathers who share their stories that range from homebirth, birth on the way to the birthcenter, and hospital births. They share with other men their best advice for preparing for their baby's birth.

Watch for some video coming soon. I promise.